Lance Avery Morgan
The Entrepreneur Reveals His Success Upgrade Labs, Bulletproof Coffee, And His Multi-Million Dollar Empire’s Growth
In the ever-evolving world of wellness and biohacking, few names resonate like Dave Asprey. As the founder of Upgrade Labs and the creator of Bulletproof Coffee, Austinite Asprey has transformed personal experimentation into a multimillion-dollar empire, blending cutting-edge technology with a deep understanding of human biology. His mission? To help individuals transcend their biological limitations and achieve optimal performance, making “living your best life” is not just a catchphrase for Asprey, but a tangible reality.
Asprey’s success story all began with a simple yet revolutionary idea: combining high-quality coffee with grass-fed butter and medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil. This concoction, known as Bulletproof Coffee, promises sustained energy, enhanced cognitive function, and weight management benefits. Introduced in 2009, the beverage quickly gained a cult following among tech enthusiasts and celebrities alike, propelling Asprey into the spotlight. By 2015, Bulletproof had expanded to include a café in Los Angeles, offering customers a taste of the biohacking lifestyle. It seems that what starts on the West Coast tends to go eastward until the entire country catches on.
Building on this success, Asprey launched Upgrade Labs, a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to personal optimization. There are eight locations across the world in the U.S. and Canada, with the most recent one opening in Austin (the only one in Texas). Here, clients can experience a range of cutting-edge treatments—from cryotherapy to neurofeedback—designed to enhance physical and mental performance. The labs serve as a testament to Asprey’s commitment to integrating technology with wellness, offering personalized solutions for those seeking to push the boundaries of human potential.
Join our Lance Avery Morgan as we delve into the world of the very clever Dave Asprey, Upgrade Labs, and Bulletproof Coffee on a journey where innovative science meets holistic health, and where the future of wellness is being shaped today. For Asprey, this isn’t just about surviving the demands of modern life; it’s about thriving in ways previously thought unattainable.
Dave, Bulletproof Coffee has become iconic. What’s the next ‘bulletproof’ trend you see on the horizon?
Dave Asprey: The next trend is Danger Coffee – it’s my mycotoxin-free coffee brand. Not only do we test it for mycotoxins, but we re-mineralize it with over 50 trace minerals and electrolytes that fuel your cells. When you drink it, you feel another level of power. It’s awesome.
With your latest endeavor, Upgrade Labs, and its new location in Austin, what is your primary goal for it, and how do you envision it positively affecting lives? Why Austin and Texas, since you have other locations in very different types of cities, from Utah to Canada?
Dave Asprey: Upgrade Labs’ goal is to create accessible spaces where people can use cutting-edge technology to improve their performance and reach their goals. Austin is a hub for innovation and technology and embodies a forward-thinking mindset that aligns with Upgrade Labs’ vision. There are a lot of people here who are on board with biohacking and human performance.
Upgrade Labs is defined as the art and science of changing the environment around and within oneself to gain more control over one’s biology. What are your favorite treatments?
Dave Asprey: It depends on what my goals are at the time! If it’s a workout day, I’ll hop on our AI-powered bike or the “cheat machine”, which helps me achieve my physique in only about 20 minutes per week. If I’m focusing on recovery, I’ll get into the cryotherapy chamber or lie in the red light bed. Another really cool technology we brought to Upgrade Labs is neurofeedback. It helps improve mental clarity, increases neurogenesis, helps relieve stress, and more.
If biohacking were a superhero movie, which biohack would be the hero, and which would be the mischievous sidekick?
Dave Asprey: The superhero biohack is becoming “untriggerable.” Although you might not know it, your body stores traumas and triggers from the past that are holding you back from living up to your full potential. When you can learn to let go of these triggers, you free up tons of energy so you can do things that you want to do – things that matter. This is what I teach in my new book, which is coming out in May. It’s called “Heavily Meditated.”
The sidekick is your raw materials: minerals, vitamin DAKE, and high-quality anti-inflammatory foods. These support everything you do and increase your resilience.
In your quest for optimal performance, what’s the strangest biohack you’ve tried that worked better than you thought it ever might?
Dave Asprey: It isn’t necessarily strange, but something that is low effort, very high ROI is wearing special glasses that filter out specific wavelengths of light that mess with your circadian biology. The ones I wear are from my company, True Dark. When I put them on before bed, my sleep quality is significantly better. A recent study published in BMC Neuroscience found that True Dark glasses reduce beta waves in your brain when you put them on. When you minimize beta activity, you can reduce anxiety and overthinking.
What’s your go-to biohack when you’re feeling under the weather and need a quick pick-me-up?
Dave Asprey: Ozone therapy is my go-to if I’m traveling or if I’m feeling something coming on. Ozone is antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory and works on a wide range of pathogens.
You’ve met countless experts in your field. Who’s the most unconventional health guru you’ve encountered, and what did they teach you?
Dave Asprey: One of the most unconventional “health gurus” I’ve encountered is not considered a health guru by most. It was an elderly Tibetan woman who handed me a cup of yak butter tea on a high-altitude trek near Mt. Kailash. The tea instantly revived me despite the –10°F chill and 18,300-foot elevations. She essentially “biohacked” altitude sickness with a drink. This taught me that we need to learn from our elders and that people have been biohacking for thousands of years. This also inspired the original Bulletproof Coffee recipe.
If you could biohack one famous historical figure, who would it be and why?
Dave Asprey: Davy Crockett. Not just because he had a cool name, but because he died at the Battle of the Alamo—and if we had biohacked him, he might’ve survived! Biohacking is all about resilience, and he was the kind of guy who could’ve used that extra edge. Plus, when leaders are powerful and grounded, society just works better.If you had to create a ‘biohacker’s survival kit’ for everyday life, what would be its essential items?
Dave Asprey: I’d include morning sunshine exposure, a cold plunge, Vitamin DAKE, Minerals, Danger Coffee, a grass-fed steak, and hugs from loved ones.
What’s the funniest misconception about biohacking that you’ve come across?
Dave Asprey: One of the funniest misconceptions about biohackers is that we’re all super-rich cyborgs who blindly inject stem cells and do risky things. That isn’t true. Biohacking is strategically changing the environment around you and inside of you so you have full control of your biology. Biohacking can be as simple as drinking coffee to feel more awake and focused. You can biohack no matter how newbie or advanced you are, regardless of your budget.
If you could biohack any aspect of modern society, what would it be and how would you do it?
Dave Asprey: I’d love to biohack our food system. Right now, our government allows tons of toxins and pesticides in our food and water. The result is ultra-processed junk that makes people weak, tired, and fat. First, I’d rewire the supply chain to prioritize nutrient density over cheap calories. Imagine every grocery store stocked with grass-fed beef, organic veggies, and NO seed oils.
I’d use tech—like AI-driven regenerative farming to improve soil health and crank out food that fuels you instead of making you weak. Think polyphenol-rich herbs and regenerative, grass-fed beef, not the factory-farmed junk most people eat.
Imagine your own theme park of biohacking. What would be the top three attractions?
Dave Asprey:
- The Neurofeedback Funhouse – this is where you hook your brain up to a computer and work on rewiring it to do what you want it to do.
- Mitochondria Megazone – This is where we are stacking all of the mitochondria hacks in one space – cryotherapy, red light, infrared sauna, PEMF (pulsed electromagnetic field) therapy, and high-intensity interval training on our AI-powered bikes. It’s like a mini Upgrade Labs.
- Danger Coffee bar + Dave-approved meals – What’s a theme park without some delicious fuel? We’re serving up Danger Coffee with butter and MCT oil, grass-fed steaks, veggies, and “Get Some Ice Cream”, which is my high-fat, anti-inflammatory, fertility-boosting ice cream.
The best career advice I’ve received is…
Dave Asprey: As a 20-year-old entrepreneur, I thought I had to do it all myself to prove something. But in my mid-20s, a mentor told me: “Allowing others to help you is actually a gift to them.” Took me way too long to realize that letting people support you isn’t weakness—it’s service.
Three qualities that got me where I am today are…
Dave Asprey: Curiosity, resilience, and laziness (I am all about efficiency, doing the things that give me the best results in the least amount of time and with the least amount of effort, so I have extra energy to do the things that matter!)
Easiest career decision I ever made is…
Dave Asprey: Starting the biohacking movement. It wasn’t forced—it felt like I was being pulled into it. That’s how you know it’s right.
How I made my first dollar…
Dave Asprey: I sold candy bars in ninth grade and made $50 a day.
First music I bought was…
Dave Asprey: I meant to buy a Whitesnake album but accidentally bought White Lion. (Yes, that’s a real band. No, I don’t know what happened either.)
Last thing I binge/marathon watched…
Dave Asprey: Rewatching Breaking Bad right now.
Book that left a lasting impression on me…
Dave Asprey: “Power vs. Force” by David Hawkins.
What everyone should try in their lifetime is…
Dave Asprey: Everyone should try neurofeedback. It’s the best brain upgrade.
If I could compete in an Olympic sport, or create one, it would be…
Dave Asprey: I’d create a sport to see who can generate the most electricity with their brainwaves. Peak biohacker move.
If I weren’t doing what I do I would (be a…)…
Dave Asprey: A professional stand-up comedian.
My favorite fictional character is…
Dave Asprey: Wolverine. Obviously.
A phrase I might overuse would be…
Dave Asprey: Stop eating kale and spinach. (But I don’t think I overuse it! It’s an important piece of advice that saves people from unnecessary suffering.)
My motto? Easy. It is…
Dave Asprey: Don’t be afraid to take risks and be a little dangerous. Who knows what you might do?
In my fridge, you will always find…
Dave Asprey: Steak. Always steak.
If I lived in a foreign city, it would be…
Dave Asprey: Dubai.
On my tombstone, it might say…
Dave Asprey: “Father of Biohacking”
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